How to Find a New Family Doctor

Wednesday

Aug 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 28, 2013 at 11:25 PM

Need a different family doctor? These tips will help you make the switch.

It can be hard to find a new family doctor, but there are ways of getting it done.
Ask friends. If your friends like their family doctor, that’s a start, says Dr. Dana Simpler, a primary care practitioner at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.
Lean on other doctors. Ask another doctor if she’ll refer you to a good family doctor. “If the doctor has a closed practice, he still may take a referral from a [colleague],” says Simpler.
Check out HealthGrades.com. “I often look up doctors, “ says Simpler. “HealthGrades has both physician and patient ratings. But be careful: It only takes one crazy person to put up a bad review.”
Switch in calm times. “Don’t wait for an urgent illness to meet your new doctor, “ says Dr. Anita B. Varkey, clinical associate professor of medicine and medical director of the General Medicine Clinic, Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill. “You want to meet under less time-pressured circumstances when you’re not dealing with pneumonia or a sprained ankle so you can set a nice groundwork for future interactions.”
Brought to you by: Spry